The author of a wide-ranging surveillance overhaul vigorously defended the bill and called Tuesday for votes in both houses of Congress. Speaking at a Georgetown Law Center event, House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., criticized a series of what he considered abuses his USA Freedom Act, HR-3361, would fix. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., worked with Sensenbrenner and introduced its companion, S-1599. House and Senate leaders should “give Pat Leahy and me an up-or-down vote on the Freedom Act,” declared Sensenbrenner, the original Patriot Act author. “And I bet when we get that, we'll win.”

The author of a wide-ranging surveillance overhaul vigorously defended the bill and called Tuesday for votes in both houses of Congress. Speaking at a Georgetown Law Center event, House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., criticized a series of what he considered abuses his USA Freedom Act, HR-3361, would fix. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., worked with Sensenbrenner and introduced its companion, S-1599. House and Senate leaders should “give Pat Leahy and me an up-or-down vote on the Freedom Act,” declared Sensenbrenner, the original Patriot Act author. “And I bet when we get that, we'll win.”

Data protection issues topped the agenda at a Monday EU-U.S. ministerial meeting in Washington, the European Commission said. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding, Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, Lithuanian Justice Minister Juozas Bernatonis and Interior Vice-Minister Elvinas Jankevicius met U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Rand Beers, it said. Officials received an update on the ad hoc EU-U.S. working group set up to address European concerns about mass U.S. spying, the EC said. The group met three times and will report to the European Parliament and Council before year’s end, it said. A second topic was the ongoing discussion on an umbrella data protection agreement for law enforcement cooperation to fight terrorism and crime, it said. The ministerial meeting will be an opportunity to advance negotiations, it said. However, Reding recently complained that although there have been more than 15 negotiating rounds, the fundamental issue of the right of Europeans to judicial redress has yet to be resolved. A third item was an update on the data protection legislative processes in the U.S. and EU, the EC said. In a joint news statement Monday, EU officials said their meeting was “constructive and productive.” On data protection they noted that issues related to alleged activities of U.S. intelligence agencies have “led to regrettable tensions in the transatlantic relationship which we seek to lessen.” The EU and U.S. have committed, “as a matter of urgency,” to advancing talks on a meaningful and comprehensive data protection umbrella agreement in the area of law enforcement, they said. Officials said they're also committed to “working to resolve the remaining issues raised by both sides, including judicial redress,” a critical issue for the EU. The goal is to complete negotiations on the agreement before summer, they said. On the joint EU-U.S. working group, officials said they underlined the importance of the ongoing reviews in the U.S. of American intelligence collection activities. The access given to the EU side of the panel will help restore trust, they said. There were also constructive talks about oversight practices in the U.S., they said. “The EU welcomes that the U.S. is considering adopting additional safeguards in the intelligence context that also would benefit EU citizens,” they said.

The FCC is committed to advancing 911 location accuracy rules beyond the last update approved in 2011, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said Monday during a day-long 911 location accuracy workshop at FCC headquarters. “I have been pro-911 and pro-911 location since the beginning of the location challenge,” said Wheeler, who paid an unscheduled visit to the workshop. States led by California have raised concerns that current requirements aren’t good enough. Carriers have been locked in a fight with the Find Me 911 Coalition, which they say is funded by technology provider TruePosition and has been spreading bad information to the states. On Monday, the FCC waded into the fight.

Data protection issues topped the agenda at a Monday EU-U.S. ministerial meeting in Washington, the European Commission said. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding, Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, Lithuanian Justice Minister Juozas Bernatonis and Interior Vice-Minister Elvinas Jankevicius met U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Rand Beers, it said. Officials received an update on the ad hoc EU-U.S. working group set up to address European concerns about mass U.S. spying, the EC said. The group met three times and will report to the European Parliament and Council before year’s end, it said. A second topic was the ongoing discussion on an umbrella data protection agreement for law enforcement cooperation to fight terrorism and crime, it said. The ministerial meeting will be an opportunity to advance negotiations, it said. However, Reding recently complained that although there have been more than 15 negotiating rounds, the fundamental issue of the right of Europeans to judicial redress has yet to be resolved. A third item was an update on the data protection legislative processes in the U.S. and EU, the EC said. In a joint news statement Monday, EU officials said their meeting was “constructive and productive.” On data protection they noted that issues related to alleged activities of U.S. intelligence agencies have “led to regrettable tensions in the transatlantic relationship which we seek to lessen.” The EU and U.S. have committed, “as a matter of urgency,” to advancing talks on a meaningful and comprehensive data protection umbrella agreement in the area of law enforcement, they said. Officials said they're also committed to “working to resolve the remaining issues raised by both sides, including judicial redress,” a critical issue for the EU. The goal is to complete negotiations on the agreement before summer, they said. On the joint EU-U.S. working group, officials said they underlined the importance of the ongoing reviews in the U.S. of American intelligence collection activities. The access given to the EU side of the panel will help restore trust, they said. There were also constructive talks about oversight practices in the U.S., they said. “The EU welcomes that the U.S. is considering adopting additional safeguards in the intelligence context that also would benefit EU citizens,” they said.

The video marketplace has changed dramatically since the Cable Act of 1992 was passed, and it’s time for the FCC to “exercise regulatory humility” instead of ignoring the changes, Commissioner Ajit Pai told a Federalist Society audience Thursday. Continuing to apply the outdated regulations will create thorny First Amendment issues for the courts, he said.

Privacy and digital rights will dominate the discussion at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s States and Nation Policy Summit in December. Talk will focus on the need for privacy regulations in the states after the National Security Agency surveillance leaks, said North Dakota Rep. Blair Thoreson (R), public chair of the Communications and Technology Task Force. State legislators will learn more about best practices for cybersecurity and interconnection in the Internet protocol transition, said Thoreson.

Privacy and digital rights will dominate the discussion at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s States and Nation Policy Summit in December. Talk will focus on the need for privacy regulations in the states after the National Security Agency surveillance leaks, said North Dakota Rep. Blair Thoreson (R), public chair of the Communications and Technology Task Force. State legislators will learn more about best practices for cybersecurity and interconnection in the Internet protocol transition, said Thoreson.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s proposed definition of importer for the purposes of the Foreign Supplier Verification Program, in comments to agency submitted Nov. 14. In its July proposed rule, FDA proposed to define the importer as “the person who caused a food to be imported,” rather than as the CBP importer of record, because the nominal importer of record may not know much about the product (see 13072628). “This is an important distinction and we are encouraged that the FDA showed such a clear understanding of the nuances of the supply chain,” said NCBFAA. But while NCBFAA praised the agency’s adoption of its preferred importer definition, the association raised some concerns with implementation.

The congressional failure to pass Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) legislation continues to threaten U.S. market competitiveness abroad, said Grover Norquist in The Washington Times on Nov. 12 (here). The bill, which expired on Dec. 31, 2012, saves U.S. industry a quarter-billion dollars a year in tariff exemptions, said Norquist. “Why does our own government impose tariff burdens on us that raise the cost of living for all Americans?” said Norquist in a column. “This self-inflicted wound should be ground zero for bipartisan action.”